Rockets, Robots, Racecar, R&R

Gestalt

Comfort: A single square. It’s centered and balanced. The white space acts as a cushy boundary between the harsh black surroundings and the solid, but otherwise vulnerable square. Eyes rest easily at the center of the composition, ensuring a relaxed viewing experience for the audience.

Order: The composition is balanced and tiling. Although obfuscated by the surrounding blackness, the pattern tessellates to create an orderly checkerboard. This composition is vertically, horizontally and rotationally symmetric, adding to the feeling of control and governance.

Tension: Nine squares are organized into a neat gridded arrangement with consistant spacing. But there is something astray. The left, middle square is subtly out of line, causing an uncomfortable distraction. It breaks the mold, but not blatantly. Drawn to the pattern, viewers are upset by the small misstep of the one unruly square and they are caught in turmoil, inquisitive as to intent of the composer, “Did the designer mean to do that?”

Playfullness: Reminiscent of childhood imagery, this composition is bright and fluid. The figure creates an easy curve, encouraging the viewers eyes to dance around the composition.

Congestion: Regular entropy; the composition is constructed to provide an even distribution of randomly placed elements. The white space is crowded by the black figures. Viewers feel cramped and confined as their eyes are entrapped in the tight white corridors created by the constraining squares.